A sign reading “Shut down the mines, stop the sediment trap, and restore the river and people’s lives” put up by residents of Tha Ton sub-district, hangs from a bridge over the Kok River amid increased rare earth and gold mining at the river’s source in Myanmar, where unregulated operations may release toxic chemicals, according to the Stimson Center report, in Mae Ai district, in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, November 11, 2025. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa